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Temporary 50-year solar farm approved

Martin HeathBuckinghamshire political reporter
News imagePA Media Rows of blue solar panels mounted on metal frames stretch diagonally across a field, forming a solar farm. The panels are arranged in parallel lines, with the nearest panels in sharp focus and those further away gradually fading into the background. A dirt track runs alongside the installation, and low grass and small plants grow beneath and between the structures. In the distance, a blurred line of green trees borders the site under a clear, pale sky.PA Media
The solar farm is expected to generate 50MW of electricity

A solar farm has been approved for farmland near a stately home for a "temporary" period of 50 years.

The site, near Thornton in Buckinghamshire, is expected to generate almost 50MW of electricity, enough to power 15,000 houses.

Opponents said it would increase flood risk and damage the landscape.

However, the developer said the facility would not have a significant visual impact and would help meet growing demand for electricity.

The solar farm, proposed by Liverpool-based Crosshouse Solar, will cover about 88 hectares (217 acres) of farmland close to Thornton Hall, which is near Buckingham.

One councillor at a planning committee meeting on Wednesday described the 50-year lifespan as "not very temporary in my book".

Nick Beddoe, the developer's agent, told the committee: "It increases our generation capacity at a time when demand is set to at least double by 2050, and it generates business rates and economic activity during the construction and operational phases."

But Caroline Moore, who lives in a lodge on the drive up to the hall, said: "This proposal puts hundreds or even thousands of panels within 300 metres of Thornton Hall.

"All of us in Thornton are in no doubt that a solar installation of this size and duration would completely change the character of an unspoiled agricultural area, surrounded by cultural lanes and farms, and with public rights of way through it and by it."

News imagePhil Catterall/Geograph A large, traditional stone country house with a red-tiled, weathered roof sits behind a wide, neatly mown lawn. The building has multiple chimneys, white-framed windows and a central doorway, with sections of ivy or climbing plants visible on parts of the walls. In the foreground, a shrub with thin branches and small red berries spreads across the grass. Hedges and bushes border the lawn, and trees line the background under an overcast sky.Phil Catterall/Geograph
The solar farm will be near to Thornton Hall

Moore also told councillors homes in the area had suffered flooding in the past, and the development could increase the risk.

Beddoe replied: "The lead local flood authority is satisfied that the scheme will not increase flood risk either on site or elsewhere.

"Indeed, the council's drainage officer acknowledges that the proposed drainage strategy would in fact provide additional flood storage capacity beyond that required for the development itself."

He also argued that the visual impact would lessen over time as hedgerows planted by the developer matured.

Thornton was one of several villages to object to the plans.

Councillors approved the application by seven votes to three, with one abstention.

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